New Delhi: Frustrated by the US government shutdown, now ongoing for a month, President Donald Trump has pressed Senate Republicans to invoke the ‘nuclear option’ and eliminate filibuster—a uniquely American legislative tactic of delaying or halting a bill, resolution or an amendment.
“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, on 30 October.
What the President means is a dramatic rule change that would end the tradition of filibuster and allow spending bills to be passed with a simple Senate majority rather than the traditional 60-vote threshold.
Yet Trump finds himself isolated on the issue, facing opposition not only from Democrats but from members of his own Republican Party, who fear the long-term consequences of dismantling a Senate tradition that has served as both shield and sword depending on which party holds power.
What triggered the shutdown?
The government shutdown began on 1 October after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a funding bill before the federal budget expired. Under the American system, Congress must agree on a spending plan that the President then signs into law.
The impasse emerged despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress. In the Senate, Republicans hold 53 seats but fall short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and pass their funding bill, even with occasional support from a handful of centrist Democrats.
This shortfall handed Democrats crucial negotiating power. They are demanding the bill include provisions for cheaper health insurance, no cuts to government health agencies, the expiry of certain tax credits, and a reversal of Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, the government-run healthcare programme for working-class Americans.
A stopgap bill was proposed to avoid the crisis, but it failed to pass in the Senate, triggering the first US government shutdown in seven years. The government previously shut down in late 2018, which was the longest shutdown ever, lasting 35 days.
The ongoing shutdown looks set to exceed the 35-day mark, at which point it will become the longest ever.
During a government shutdown, federal agencies must halt all “non-essential” activities and place many employees on unpaid furlough. Critical functions such as law enforcement, air traffic control and other essential services continue to operate, though workers in those roles must remain on the job without pay. The shutdown persists until Congress passes, and the President signs, new legislation to fund the government.
What is filibuster?
A filibuster is a tactic used exclusively in the US Senate to delay or block a vote on legislation. Senators employ this method by extending debate indefinitely—sometimes speaking for up to 24 hours—to prevent action on a bill, resolution or amendment.
This tactic is not practised in the House of Representatives.
Currently, ending a filibuster requires 60 votes out of the Senate’s 100 members, a threshold known as cloture. This means that even if a party holds a simple majority, it cannot pass most legislation without support from the Opposition or moderate members of the other party.
Trump’s latest demand to eliminate the filibuster revives a long-standing grievance he has harboured since his first term: that the 60-vote threshold prevents the majority party from governing effectively. Trump has argued that such a constraint leaves the majority “powerless”, particularly as federal workers go without pay and essential programmes face suspension.
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The ‘nuclear option’
The so-called “nuclear option” refers to a procedural rule change that would allow the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority of 51 votes, effectively bypassing Democratic opposition. Senate Democrats have continued to block Republican stopgap measures, and the Senate is scheduled to reconvene on 3 November to resume negotiations.
Trump’s proposal also met immediate resistance from within his own party. Senate Majority leader John Thune of South Dakota, along with other senior Republicans, dismissed the idea, warning that abolishing the filibuster could permanently alter the character of the chamber.
Senator John Curtis, Republican of Utah, articulated the concerns of many in his party when he wrote on X after Trump’s call: “The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate. Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t. I’m a firm no on eliminating it.”
Why Republicans are hesitant
According to the New York Times, many Republicans fear that dismantling the filibuster — a tool they relied on heavily when Democrats controlled the Senate — would one day enable sweeping progressive legislation on voting rights, abortion access and even statehood for the District of Columbia.
This is not the first time Trump has pushed for eliminating the filibuster. During his first term, he made similar demands that were firmly rebuffed by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, then the majority leader.
Democrats, too, came close to considering such a move in 2022, but two of their own members, Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, sided with Republicans to preserve the rule.
The human cost
The President’s call comes amid deepening economic and social consequences of the shutdown. The administration has managed to fund its military and pay troops but has refused to use discretionary money to cover food assistance.
Earlier this year, Trump signed legislation that enacted steep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP) – a move projected to remove more than two million people from food aid rolls.
From Alaska to Maine, communities have begun to feel the strain. Alaskans are stockpiling food as SNAP benefits near exhaustion, while in the country’s Northeast, residents have been waiting for delayed heating oil subsidies.
The political stalemate
Democrats have refused to approve new funding bills unless Republicans agree to restore federal healthcare subsidies that were slashed under Trump’s signature summer spending package. Republicans insist negotiations can resume only after the government reopens.
The standoff has left both chambers of Congress at a standstill, with lawmakers not expected to return until after next week’s state and local elections in New York City, Virginia and New Jersey.
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